


Karkats typical & happy Alternian childhood

by olympianInsomniac



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternia, Alternia is Terrible, Alternia-Focused, Alternian Empire, Depressed Karkat, Gen, Grubs (Homestuck), Highblooded Trolls (Homestuck), Karkat Hates Himself, Karkat Needs a Hug, Lowblooded Trolls (Homestuck), Minor Terezi Pyrope/Karkat Vantas, POV Karkat Vantas, Trolls (Homestuck)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olympianInsomniac/pseuds/olympianInsomniac
Summary: I was thinking about the fact that even with a sign & a lusus provided to him by the Sufferer cultists, Karkat would still grow up incredibly screwed up knowing that he had mutant blood when blood color is literally the entire basis of troll society and I wondered how that would lead to the character we meet in Hivebent, so I ended up writing this.





	Karkats typical & happy Alternian childhood

Karkat Vantas wasn't quite like other Alternians, so he knows why he's the way he is. 

Everything had been normal, at first. 

His earliest memories are hazy recollections of crawling around the massive and dark Brooding Caverns and eking out a living. 

When he was hungry he would eat plants or the occasional bug and small animal when he could catch one. 

When he was thirsty, drinks came from pools of water. 

Whenever he wasn't looking for those two essentials his free time was spent exploring or playing with other grubs. Although he didn't have names for things at that age, he'd figured out that those fat, brightly colored creatures with their monochrome faces were his kin. 

Of course there wasn't always time to play in his free time. Just as much of it was spent avoiding everything else that lived in the caverns with them. 

From his school-feeding in later sweeps he was able to place his memories of the large and black, spiked creatures that towered over the grubs, roaming the caverns on trunk like legs to Imperial Drones. 

He'd find out that the Brooding Caverns were the Imperial Drones home when they weren't hunting for food themselves or out collecting genetic material. 

Back then, with how many of them had been around it had been very obvious that it was the drones home as well. They had made that fact very known. 

It was Karkats first experiences with danger- seeing a drone stomp on a grub or scoop one up for a quick snack. Like everyone else, he quickly learned to give the terrifying beings a wide berth and to be very careful about where he chose to sleep. 

Strangely though, the drones made a habit of leaving dead carcasses they didn't finish out where the grubs could reach them. Those memories of him and his brood mates tearing apart full meals were the only good ones he associated with the drones. 

Besides the drones and other grubs the only other constants were what he found out later to be the Mother Grubs and the adult trolls that tended to their needs. 

The sight of the absolutely massive white creatures living in the centers of the larger caverns had always piqued his curiosity. Their segmented and sponge-like bodies looked similar to the grubs, after all. Even with their absolutely hideous faces, something about them spoke to a sense of home. 

Yet anytime he or one of his companions tried approaching the Mother Grubs, they'd be shooed away by the mysterious beings far smaller guards. 

Back then, he'd found the creatures which surrounded the Mother Grubs to be mystifying. They had two arms and two legs like the drones, yet grey faces just like the grubs. What were they? 

After he pupated, he would find out.

===========================================================================

Once he'd clawed his way out from the cocoon he fell out of it to land with a wet splat on the floor, disoriented and confused. Pushing himself up from the dirt and the slime revealed just how much he'd changed while he'd been asleep. 

The fat, red body that he'd moved with six stubby limbs had changed completely. 

He'd gotten up by pushing down on the floor with a set of hands connected to a long set of arms. That explained what had happened to his top set of limbs. 

This had raised him up so that he was kneeling on his new set of legs. This explained what had happened to his bottom set of limbs. 

Karkat brought his arms up to examine the hands, mystified by the fact the grey skin he'd seen covering his face in pools of water now covered everything. He wiggled his fingers, fascinated by each one. Eventually, he grew bored though and looked down to find one last surprise. 

His middle pair of limbs were now mere black bumps on his midsection. On his now larger body, they looked tiny. For a moment he was terrified. How would he move around if he didn't have all six legs? 

He looked down to the only two left, thinking of the drones and the Mother Grubs mysterious guardians. Slowly, he put one hand on the floor and pushed himself up. 

That was how Karkat Vantas figured out how to stand on two feet. This lead to another minute or two of examination as he looked down to discover his toes, wiggling the individual digits around with a vague curiosity. Then he started to walk around, testing out just how mobile he was now. 

It wasn't long before he was running.

Karkat and the other wrigglers would discover just how useful it was to be able to move around on two legs and grab things with their hands. It was far easier to hunt down the smaller animals in the caverns and to avoid the drones now. Everyone started to fill into their new bodies fast. 

One day, the drones would end up herding all of them together. He'd been terrified, thinking that this was the end- all of them were about to be eaten or killed. Instead, he was escorted to a tunnel by one of his large counterparts and pushed inside of it. 

He'd rather not remember the perils he'd faced in there. 

==================================

The point was, he'd passed the Trials with flying colors and emerged back into the Brooding Caverns to discover a far smaller crowd of young trolls. As the drones continued to roam around and make sure none ran off, animals of all shapes and sizes started to appear. Each of them had the same white skin as the Mother Grubs. 

Somehow, he knew that these creatures weren't here to harm them. When a large, crab-like one stopped in front of him and peered down to sniff curiously he actually felt the urge to hug it. Without any resistance, he allowed his lusus to escort him away. 

He was now 2 Sweeps Old. 

Once the two of them have found a suitable spot on the surface, he laid out the plans for his hive and the Carpenter Drones got to work building it. 

After they've moved in he is given a sign- not that he knew what that meant yet. A transcription of a number of screeches his lusus makes tells him his name as well; Karkat Vantas. 

======

From his husktop he starts his mandatory education, logging in every day just as he'd been ordered to. At first his time was spent learning things such as language, mathematics, shapes and what he's gone through in the last two sweeps and why all the horror was so important. 

More and more topics are added on to this, including the Alternian Empires ancient and colorful history- history that consisted of feuds between tribes of lowbloods, midbloods, highbloods and seadwellers that eventually ended up with the formation of the Empire. 

With sea dwellers now at the top of a hemospectrum- red at the bottom and fuscia at the top.

There were two things wrong, here. 

First off, it was obviously just an excuse for the seadwellers who believed their own press to lord over the fact they'd come out on top. 

Secondly, while every caste from the bottom to the top of the spectrum- red, brown, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, indigo, purple- all had blood of multiple shades- none of these shades were brightly colored.

No bright red like his. No bright brown, either. 

No bright orange, yellow or green. 

No bright teal, blue, indigo or purple. 

No bright fuscia, even. 

No others with bright blood at all through all of history, it seemed.

Where the hell does that leave him in this nonsense? It doesn't matter to him but with the way their society works it will to everyone else and that's terrifying. He thinks of grubs squashed underfoot and eaten alive. 

Soon he finds out the policy for mutants whose traits are considered harmful- they are killed, culled from the empire to preserve its ''blood and integrity.''

Yet nothing in his school feeding seemed to cover whether his bright blood counted as a harmful mutation.

Then Karkat found out about the limebloods. They were an entire caste of brightly blooded greenbloods that once had their own spot on the hemospectrum. Many of them had potent psychic abilities, so they were deemed a threat. 

Once they were, limebloods were completely exterminated by the empire to the very last of their race. He starts to get the fear. 

Next, Karkat finds out about the Summoner.

The Summoner was a mutant who had been allowed to live by the Grand Highblood himself. When his wings were discovered he was spared due to his ability to control animals and his stern command of his fellow Cavalreapers. The commander betrayed his superiors trust and ''dared'' to rebel against the empire. 

He supported the ideas of a brightly blooded mutant so foul, their name had been stricken from history. All that was said about this troll was that he had “almost split the Empire apart.”

These were his examples. Dead Limebloods, and a dead dick who had inspired another dick to start a revolution so large, it was the reason Alternia had been left for children only until they were ready to head off-world. 

Karkat is starting to understand why his lusus is so irritable whenever anyone gets too close to the hive or whenever he leaves.

By the time he’s learned about mutant-bloods being killed as a custom no matter what shade they are his fear has become a constant underlying panic.

Karkat makes sure to be Extra Careful whenever he has a sharp object around- except for when he cuts loose with his sickles, of course. Still, besides that every time he even thinks about his blood he hears his Lusii’s animal screeches resound in his brain.

The animal guardian is always crabby, and even though he knows they love each other- Karkat begins to wonder if his lusus resents him even despite that. After all, he wants to be normal.

He can't imagine it wouldn't annoy someone else that their life isn't. 

He begins to have nightmares about being killed- or worse, trapped.

He finds an escape in fiction, finding that he likes romance the most even though he’s sure that no one could ever love him. Despite himself, he's avoiding his neighbors more and more. 

Karkat turns 4 Sweeps Old. 

He’s got to be different from other mutantbloods- how else would he even end up with a Sign and a Lusus if he wasn’t meant to be part of the empire? What was his existence owed to, a clerical error?

Schoolfeeding sums up mutantbloods thus:

There were no exceptions to the fact that such creatures should be killed as soon as their off shaded ''joke of a blood'' is spotted. 

Karkat starts up a number of habits that soon become second nature to him. 

He’ll go outside but only as much as he has to.

He will keep all of the windows covered unless he wants them otherwise.

He will be cordial and polite with everyone he runs into but besides that, he'll stand off.

When he gets online, he decides on grey text. A regular shade of red would be too close to the truth for him to be comfortable with it. 

He opens up about hobbies, interests, ambitions, but not about things like where he lives or what he looks like. 

Time goes by and Karkat isn't killed and his blood is never seen. 

He begins to settle into what he considers will be a life of always hiding. 

It'll be tough once the time for conscription rolls around but he doesn't have to think about what he'll do for a few sweeps so he contents himself with his ambition of becoming a Threshcutioner commander, his training, and as many movies about lowblooded heroes as possible. 

Meanwhile, he starts feeling everything very deeply. The blustering rage comes from entirely real anger. Sometimes he just feels numb, though. Or like he isn't real. 

Whatever Karkat is, he isn’t like anyone else. He wishes he was, and quickly finds out that wishes don’t come true.

Slowly, he puts more and more of his time into his husktops. He begins to learn coding, and looks into websites about books, coding, movies and romance. He finds that people pay a lot more attention to him when he types in all caps, and decides “THIS IS HOW I’M GOING TO TYPE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.”

He starts to make friends, and eventually meets 11 other trolls who drown the rest out. 

Slowly, he gains two new and opposing beliefs. 

He is the best thing in the world. He is the worst thing in the world. 

He knows that's utterly stupid, but what else is new? 

\--------------------------------------------

Aradia is kind and jovial but there's an edge to her whenever she or anyone she likes is pushed and he finds he both respects and likes her- that's it, though.

He is not at all surprised that she’s into the dangerous hobbies of archeology or the game of FLARP. The boy would love to join her in them but he’s already at enough risk himself. 

It's not surprising to him that she's fiercely protective of Tavros, Sollux and even Terezi. 

He’s content just talking to her when they do- although the fact that she’s the one technically closest to him on the hemospectrum always leaves him feeling guilty for not being able to tell her about his blood. 

\--------------------------

Tavros is much the same. He’s so genuinely enthusiastic that it's sweet even if his quirk is annoying to look at. Compared to the faults Karkat finds in other people though, that's minuscule. 

Despite the fact most of the others think he’s a wimp, Karkat reads into something about the other boy and knows he must have a secret spine to him. More allowing people to bowl over him than anything else. He’s not surprised at all that he’s into FLARP either.

They talk but not that much, which is fine. It seems like there’s a mutual understanding between the two that they’ll be around if the other needs it. He doesn't know why he feels this way, though.

\---------------

Sollux. Oh, Sollux stands out to him. They share hobbies like coding and gaming but more importantly, a certain wavelength. Both of them love to joke around but ultimately take themselves very seriously and Karkat finds that he’s met yet another troll he respects.

The two of them end up as fast friends and talk often to the point where they start keeping logs of their conversations just for the entertainment value. They get into a habit of deleting ones that either of them finds embarrassing. 

Karkat finds another Alternian he wishes he could tell about his blood color- he knows Sollux wouldn’t share it since he's a mutant himself yet Karkat stops himself every time.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nepeta. She gives him mixed feelings. The fact someone is so enamored with him is ego fueling but he doesn't feel the same way. He is fond of her though no matter how much he acts like he isn't. 

If they ever got anywhere near how close he wants to get, her keen senses would find out about his blood for sure. 

If they ever got anywhere near how close she wants to get, it'd all end in tears. He'd have to turn her down and he really doesn't want to hurt someone so sweet. 

Plus there's Equius, which goes into an entirely different thought process.

On one hand, the two are such good moirails he actually finds himself liking the blueblooded bastard despite his absolute disgust with his bullshit beliefs. 

Then again, he's not so good himself with beliefs he knows are bullshit. Blueblooded bastard? A tangle of yarn there, ironically. 

On the other hand, while Equius judges everyone he meets, Nepeta is his blind spot for some reason. They just work. 

Which is great for the two of them but the final nail in the coffin for any friendship between him and Nepeta. Karkat isn't sure whether Equius would want to kill him or join in on the marriage, to be honest. 

Karkat starts acting standoffish with her. 

\-----------------------------------

Kanaya. Kanaya is another one that stands out to him and unlike the last troll in his list, it's because his feelings about her aren't complicated at all. 

She reminds him of Aradia- pervasively kind. Yet while the redblood is someone he likes, the jadeblood is someone he loves.

He knows that'd surprise anyone- Karkat the hateful braggart and Kanaya the humble pie that she is.

He hates fashion. She loves it. 

Karkat is a lot more sensitive then he actually acknowledges.

Kanaya is a lot more hardened then she gives herself credit for. 

He finds it hilarious he has a friend who he shares a love of romance novels with yet isn't attracted to at all. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terezi. Oh, Terezi. He’d think the girl already knows his secret and wants to kill him with the fervor she asks about his blood color but he finds she’s just fucking with him and having fun doing it. 

Somehow, she gets a rise out of him more then anyone else. 

He hates all her cheap jokes and loves her devotion towards JUST1C3.

Her passion for it is refreshing even though he knows Alternian justice for him would almost always mean a quick death.

Somehow, he feels like she's the only legislacerator in training who would try to find a way around that. He's not going to ever test that theory though, as much as he'd almost want to. 

She's the only one he's "in" love with. 

If only it could work out. 

\---------------------

Vriska. Mixed feelings. Like Sollux and Terezi, she’s one of the dangerous ones- where their ego actually matches their ability. 

It’s no surprise to him that she plays FLARP or wins at the bloodsport all the time. 

It comes as a really sickening surprise when he finds out she literally kills her opponents to feed her giant spider monster, though. Even if it’s for her lusus it’s sick- he’d rather leave his then put up with that.

Still, it’s easy enough to say that and it’s an entirely different thing to go without the creature that raised you from the time you left the Brooding Caverns. 

It wouldn't be half as bad if she didn't enjoy it. 

Eventually, he just ends up with a grudging respect for her. She never really had a choice in being anyone other than who she is and who does that remind him of?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equius. Fucking Equius Zahaak. He finds that Equius just creeps him out, the more he finds out about him. He can't put his finger on what it is. 

Maybe it's the fact the blueblood could kill someone at a moments notice and his obsession with strength. 

Or it's the lifelike robots that he spends meticulous effort on, only to destroy. 

Maybe it's his obsession with upholding the hemospectrum, despite the fact he gets off on "subverting" it. 

Or maybe it's the fact the guy hates swearing despite the fact he has paintings of nude musclebeasts on his walls.

He'd hate the guy just for the fact the feeling would be mutual if Equius knew what he was but there's something about how cluelessly devoted to the caste system he is that Karkat feels bad for. 

Plus, his condescending airs always dissipate at the slightest hint of confrontation from anyone. 

Karkat can't wrap his head around the fact that Equius can just switch it off with Nepeta, either. He knows that as much as the blueblood tells her off, he'd stop what he was doing in a heartbeat if she ever did the same. 

Like Vriska, that's another troll who Karkat "should" hate but doesn't at all. He just doesn't understand him at all. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gamzee. He likes him but it annoys Karkat that he does and oh are there reasons. 

First off, there's the broken grammar. That's the tip of the iceberg. 

Secondly, there's his clown religion. 

Karkat finds the Subjuggulator cult infuriating already with their death worship but somehow he finds it doubly annoying that while all of Gamzees cohorts use it as an excuse to pummel everyone, he's twisted it around and tries to bolster everyone up with it. 

Then there's his complete willing ignorance. 

He'd seem simple but like with Tavros, Karkat knows there's something there that he isn't getting. 

The sopor thing is gross but fuck if Karkat doesn't see it in himself looking at his own habits and hobbies. 

Crown prince. Orphaned. Just wants to be One of The Guys. 

So despite the fact Karkat acts like he hates him, he cares about him a ton. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Eridan. Another Alternian that Karkat has mixed feelings about. Eridans disdain for land dwellers across the spectrum would leave him beneath Karkats contempt but the damn sea dweller holds his own peers in just as much disregard. 

It doesn't make it alright but somehow it makes it tolerable. 

Plus, Eridans heart shines for Feferi so much that Karkat just can't bring himself to hate him. They talk. 

Eridan, who in spite or maybe despite his bravado and man against the world mentality, loves ancestries, history and trashy movies. 

Karkat can't respect the other troll but Mothergrub be damned, he likes him. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Feferi. Yet another Alternian he has mixed feelings on. She's earnest from attitude and beliefs to her delivery. Another one he wishes he could be more like, if he wasn't so guarded.

It’s inspiring that the one who can officially claim the throne next actually deserves it. Feferi genuinely wants to change things. 

Yet it intimidates him. She's entirely ready to put the work in. 

Karkat can almost see why the hemospectrum put sea dwellers on the top- there's something about her that just unnerves him. Maybe it's the fact that she feeds orphaned trolls lusii to her own. 

Somehow, he gets the feeling that if she wasn't so nice that she'd be something else entirely. 

So he steers clear of her even though she’s always very kind. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His life becomes a mix of his own and his concern for the lives of these eleven other Alternians. 

He’s only in love with one of them, yet he loves all of them dearly. God knows he wouldn't tell any of them that, though. 

Karkat turns 5 Sweeps Old.

The FLARP crisis happens. 

Tavros is handicapped by Vriska. 

Aradia sends spirits after Vriska in return. 

Vriska possesses Sollux and has him obliterate Aradias hive in return.

Terezi has Vriskas eye and arm blown off in return.

Vriska has Terezi blinded in return. 

The dust to the entire gruesome mess settles and the dynamic of Team Charge and Team Scourge is forever changed.

Aradia is now one of the ghosts she used to make contact with. Empty and soulless, a complete 180 to how she used to be.

That secret edge to Tavros is sharper than ever, and he quits FLARP and retreats into Fiduspawn and practicing his jousting. 

Karkat can tell that when he does, Sollux genuinely hates himself. How can he talk him out of that when the poor guy literally killed his girlfriend? 

Terezi and Vriska are both more distrusting then ever- of each other and everyone else. Their friendship is over and almost everyone loathes Vriska with a passion now, including Karkat. 

His friends pick themselves up and continue on and he hates himself a little more. 

Karkat turns 6 Sweeps Old and they all play a game together.


End file.
